Dubstepforum.com

Now before anyone goes telling me that if I feel this way about producing then I'm not really in it for the love should save it lol
Lately it seems, the more I learn about producing, the more of a difficult, dreadful task it seems..Don't get me wrong, I LOVE music, can't go a day without thinking about it. But I don't know, 2 years ago I was able to dish out a song every week or 2 and feel accomplished, but that was when I knew very little about mixdowns, but NOW that I understand what needs to be done in order to achieve sonic sound is mixdowns. But nowadays I find myself struggling hard making proper mixdowns which days leads to weeks with no new material, I find myself spending more damn time trying to make things sound good rather than the very musical content of it...Anyone have any tips, perhaps unorthodox ways of amping yourself to produce? It's getting to the point where I almost dread going on fl studio knowing I will end up spending hours on shit that goes no where -.-
For example, I've been making a remix for lights and I thought it sounded good but today I go back to preview it and it sounds like ass...it's so slow, blotchy, bulk (not in a good way) and yeah...I tend to lose faith in it all sometimes but hey, gotta keep moving along! Im just hoping one day I may overcome all of this shit and be able to dish out quality tunes on the regular...Im getting impatient, it shows in my friends too, they always ask me when the fuck is my next tune coming out, sadly I say soon but I barely have shit filled in for anything good. Maybe Im a little over critical?
But yeah sorry for the "rant", I just need words of wisdom from fellow vets..
Perhaps workflow template suggestions or interesting ways of creating stronger foundations...quicker? I spent a whole day trying to make the kick, sub and drum elements sit together right, still lacks alot of shit lol

You need more practice. Figure out exactly why your songs don't sound right and slowly fix them. Also due to how easy it is to pirate software, not everyone is cut out to be a producer.

you shouldnt have to spend a whole day to get yr drums and bass to sound decent

maybe get yrself some new samplepacks??? either that or switch to another daw for a little while maybe even the workflow there could be just what inspires u to kick it back into gear

get samples that inspire you

consider buying a boat

MassAphekt wrote:Maybe Im a little over critical?

As you produce more, you learn more. As you learn more, your standards increase. As your standards increase, you are naturally more critical of your output. Just means you have to work harder to do better.

JTMMusicuk wrote:consider buying a boat

great idea

Try a different genre. I can't produce dnb or house to save my life, but I find that approaching things a different way opens up more possibilities so that when I do come back to dubstep I feel refreshed and have more tools in my arsenal as it were.

get someopne else to master ur shit, and concentrate on the musical content instead

orrr, take a break never force yourself to create.
there's a healthy balance between composing and maintaining the mix. if you let your brain clear itself, you'll find yourself inspired by an idea, and you'll want to DIVE into manifesting it. Capitalize on those moments, and you'll make something you're really proud of. When the creativity is out on the DAW, then finetune the mix using the knowledge you've collected.

Also, use 'dummy' samples, like fillers for the purpose of getting your ideas out quickly. If making a template file with a drum kit, sub bass, simple synth and some eqs does the trick then by all means. Whatever you need to do to quickly output. <- That alone is why I favor certain DAWs over others, not because of the 'quality of sound' they supposedly produce (another thread I'm sure).

bottom line, if you're bored, take a break. It's like a relationship.

im at the same EXACT point you're at OP. everything even with the friends thing. I need to hop on it and stop playing games. Feels like I lost motivation to make tracks now

i havent produced for like a month- take a break and you'll come back with bare fresh ideas

tbh tho, eqing and stuff is really frustrating so unless i know i'm going to be sending it out to a label (one in 20 tunes i make) then i dont really bother doing more than a cursory mixdown.

Your stuff is really good - that WIP is brilliant. It counters the problem I have with much dubstep, which is overkill on production details and not enough good musical ideas in the first place. I'd say you're doing pretty well.

Maybe listen to some alternative music you wouldn't usually hear and get some new inspiration, as suggested. Go and listen to Drexciya for an hour or something.

lowpass wrote:Try a different genre.

i found this helped a lot ^^




also studying an older form of music. something that was the backbone for future genres, soul, funk, jazz, blue, classical etc..



i pretty much kicked back from all modern music and went deep on the jazz thing for 3 years. ive always been into it and collected it on vinyl but went proper deep on it recently. the old cliche of going back to move forward... worth a punt

I would probably try a different genre, or if you are lacking the musical inspiration, don't even worry about the music and just make synth tones.
Something that you can try is setting deadlines to produce something.
For example, just decide that you are going to make a minute long track every 3 days, and just keep going along with that for however long you want.

focus on doing something else for a while, i havent felt inspired to produce at all for a while, so i started up a night in my local area and got my dj career going, been doing that for a month and now iv started slowly to get ideas again. also try remixing something, this sometimes gives me a clearer idea of what i want to do with a track

awesome suggestions everybody, thanks
I am definitely gonna start making something different for awhile. Im already sick of this song and no longer want to continue it

Everything everyone has said is great advice. DONT EVER FORGET WHAT WUB SAID!...It's important to keep that concept in mind as you develop as an artist. I have found myself going through periods of inspiration (riding the "wave of Inspiration" so to speak) and afterwards, when I feel like I've plateaued on the wave, I drop everything and play some video games. Being creative, regardless of applicable context, is very mentally exhausting. Especially as you age. You have endless passion/energy as a kid, and therefore mellow out as you get older. When you get ready to put your brain to work, and you feel very overwhelmed/daunted by loading your DAW...Your creativity needs to take a rest. Simple as that. If I were you, and the thought of loading your DAW is enough to make you feel tired, DON'T. Don't take it as gospel, it's just you're overworking a facet of your brain that you're growing out of and to regain the energy to entertain said facet, you must rest. Again, simple tasks that require less brain power are your friend at the moment.

DO NOT FEEL GUILTY YOU'RE SPENDING TIME DOING OTHER THINGS! It's just as important as spending time practicing your music. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing, etc. Insert whatever cliche you want, but it's truth. If anything, take this as gospel. If you feel that bad, read, watch tutorials, post in other sections on DSF, etc. But at the end of the day, being creative is something that needs to breathe. Go to the gym, play games, go to the bar, etc....WHATEVER...if you stay reclusive and force something that isn't there, It'll show in your music. Same can be said for being well rounded in your passion.

/endrant.

Toolman4 wrote:Everything everyone has said is great advice. DONT EVER FORGET WHAT WUB SAID!...It's important to keep that concept in mind as you develop as an artist. I have found myself going through periods of inspiration (riding the "wave of Inspiration" so to speak) and afterwards, when I feel like I've plateaued on the wave, I drop everything and play some video games. Being creative, regardless of applicable context, is very mentally exhausting. Especially as you age. You have endless passion/energy as a kid, and therefore mellow out as you get older. When you get ready to put your brain to work, and you feel very overwhelmed/daunted by loading your DAW...Your creativity needs to take a rest. Simple as that. If I were you, and the thought of loading your DAW is enough to make you feel tired, DON'T. Don't take it as gospel, it's just you're overworking a facet of your brain that you're growing out of and to regain the energy to entertain said facet, you must rest. Again, simple tasks that require less brain power are your friend at the moment.

DO NOT FEEL GUILTY YOU'RE SPENDING TIME DOING OTHER THINGS! It's just as important as spending time practicing your music. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing, etc. Insert whatever cliche you want, but it's truth. If anything, take this as gospel. If you feel that bad, read, watch tutorials, post in other sections on DSF, etc. But at the end of the day, being creative is something that needs to breathe. Go to the gym, play games, go to the bar, etc....WHATEVER...if you stay reclusive and force something that isn't there, It'll show in your music. Same can be said for being well rounded in your passion.

/endrant.

even better advice my friend, really took that to heart.. Been chasing my tail alot lately, I guess it was me being hard on myself mentally, trying to beat that personal ' bestscore' each track.lol listening to it now, it does show how wary things are. gonna need a proper breather from music
gonna hit the gym then read a book or someshit lol

Check this out..


My friend posted it the other day on FB and was blown away!!

See, I want it bad too. Whatever it is, I want it as BAD as you do. No one should be here to tell us HOW/WHY we should want it, it's just beautiful enough that we do. Passion! Here's the kicker...with passion comes taking the time for other important things in life, like staying healthy, taking care of business, etc ...It's about balance. The video showcases people too much on the business end of life, a la routine. We on the other hand, would rather be all reclusive and immersed 24/7 in passionate behavior. But alas, the cliches..."Too much of a good thing, is a bad thing"....lol...they are cliche for a reason.